Water Taxi firing shows perils of civic engagement

Trying to save Fort Lauderdale tree, Chris Brennan loses his job

Chris Brennan said he was Water Taxi's best employee, enjoying a job… (Susan Stocker, Sun Sentinel )

March 16, 2013|Michael Mayo, Sun Sentinel Columnist

Truth be told, I don't care much about a big old rain tree in Fort Lauderdale that's stirring controversy because it might be moved — and perhaps mortally harmed — for a new condo development. If I cried for every fallen tree or lost patch of wetlands in South Florida, I'd be drowning in tears and antidepressants.

But I do care about the disturbing plight of Chris Brennan, who recently got fired from the Water Taxi for taking up for said tree.

The chilling lesson: Don't bother being civically engaged, because it can only lead to trouble.

"That's why apathy has won in this state," Brennan, 33, told me Friday. "If you try to speak out about something, you get squished."

On Feb. 6, Brennan posted a YouTube video decrying the tree's proposed uprooting to make way for Marina Lofts, a three-tower, 1,000 condo development. The video rankled the developer, who also happens to be landlord of the Water Taxi's current base.

The developer, Asi Cymbal, got in touch with Brennan's boss. Brennan declined to take down the video.

On March 1, after nearly six years with Water Taxi, Brennan was fired. The company sent an email to his co-workers that read, "Because Water Taxi is a tenant of Cymbal Development, Chris' actions are in conflict with the company's interest, and he was terminated."

His firing is perfectly legal. But it's also an outrage.

Is it any wonder so many people are leery about getting involved — or caring — about local issues? Is it any wonder we end up with local elections where only 8 percent of voters turn out?

We give a lot of lip service to personal liberty and freedom of speech in this country, but Brennan's story shows that workers are only as free as their bosses (or their associates) allow them to be. America has gone from "Don't tread on me," to "Tread carefully."

"As long as you're not under somebody's thumb economically, then you have freedom of speech," said Brennan. "Otherwise, you have to be willing to lose your livelihood."

I could understand getting canned if you worked at McDonald's and posted YouTube rants about the perils of Big Macs. But what Brennan did seems more tangential. If we all have to live and act based on what meshes with our employers' best interests – even on our own time – how does that differ from totalitarianism?

What happens if you want to stop a new nuclear plant near your home, but your employer does business with FPL? What happens if you oppose the expansion of casino gambling, but your company says new resorts could help its bottom line?

Brennan told me, "I'm not a tree-hugger, and I'm not opposed to progress…I'm just a native with an appreciation of the past." He said he's bothered by the disposable nature of promises, like a 1987 Fort Lauderdale commission resolution that supposedly protected the rain tree. About his video, Brennan said, "It was tongue-in-cheek, but factual. I didn't find it to be that big of a threat to [Cymbal's] project."

Since his firing, Brennan has gotten a bartending job at Big Dog Station in Oakland Park, where his new boss supports his efforts.

"I have no ill will toward Water Taxi," said Brennan, a Fort Lauderdale native who once worked as a Broward County park ranger. "They had to do it…My boss had tears in his eyes when he let me go."

Brennan blames Cymbal for putting the squeeze on Water Taxi, but Cymbal told my colleague Brittany Wallman he didn't request Brennan's firing. I wanted to talk to Cymbal about the situation, but he was out of the country and unavailable, according to the greeting on his cellphone.

Brennan's firing might bring more attention to the tree and more opposition to the condo project.

But it comes at a steep personal price, one most workers aren't willing to pay.